By Carlo Platella
The dualism between the Jaguar and Porsche powered vehicles characterized the 2023 Formula E season, which ended with the victory of the Porsche powertrain among the drivers, thanks to the laurel won by Jake Dennis, and the success among the manufacturers of Envision Racing, powered by Jaguar. The German and British manufacturers would still appear to be the great protagonists in the season that has just begun, monopolizing the victories in the three E-Prixes held so far. However, there are several clues that lead to greater competitiveness on the part of the pursuers, outlining a picture with sixteen potential winners in each race.
Nissan and Stellantis: watch out for those two
Nick Cassidy, currently leader of the world rankings, turns the spotlight on the topic: “I think there's been very little talk about how strong are the Nissan and DS engines: Rowland, Fenestraz, Hughes, Bird…they're all super competitive. The same goes for Gunther, who dominated in Jakarta and also did very well in Mexico City. The potential of the Nissan and DS powertrains is truly underestimated. These are another 8 cars, which together with the Jaguar and Porsche engines form a group of 16 cars.”
The New Zealander doesn't hesitate when asked if the chase for the title can be played out between more than half of the starting field: “I really think so. I think Dennis proved that in Diriyah. On the first day he won by 13 seconds, showing an incredible performance. But the next morning I heard him describe his car as the worst ever. He is the world champion, yet one day he is first on the grid and the next he is fifteenth. All this shows how compact the grid is now”.
The most balanced season ever
Even if it is difficult to hypothesize that all sixteen Nissan, DS, Maserati, Jaguar and Porsche cars could aspire to the world title, the growing competitiveness of the pursuers certainly increases the variables at play for the main candidates for the championship. “It will be difficult for us to finish in the top ten”reflects Cassidy”. That's what's crazy about Formula E now: it's super balanced. I'm somewhat surprised that the press is only talking about Jaguar and Porsche.”
Asked if Season 10 could become the most competitive ever in the history of Formula E, Cassidy has no doubts: “I'm absolutely certain of it. Diriyah's qualifying is a great example of this, so different from day to day. There is a high variability. The competition is very high and you have to do everything perfectly. I expect that one day I will qualify 16th or 18th. It's difficult to always do everything right. When those days come, I will try to limit the damage and try to optimize as much as possible.”
With the exception of Vergne and Gunther, Jaguar and Porsche-powered drivers have been the only winners since the Gen3's debut. However, with these premises, the roll of honor could soon be enriched: “I think this year there will be many different winners and it's good for sport”, concludes the Jaguar standard bearer.
#Formula #balanced #championship
